Beyond the Tower Doors
by HetalianWolfx
Summary: Every man, woman and child has a story. One day a man's story of survival and betrayal comes to a near end, until he is found by another. Now that he has the chance, will Ludwig exact his revenge? Or will he allow himself to see past the web of lies? An unexpected adventure awaits him. Warning; British terms and T for swears & violence
1. Prologue

First upload! *Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaangelvoiceeeeeeeeeeeees*

Hello Hetalia fandom! I hope I don't disappoint you~ ^u^

Okay so this is the introductory chapter for Behind The Tower Door, a fic containing adventure and feels with a bit of action mixed in between, so feel free to criticize along the way although this chapter will be more a show of my writing style as well as the feel of this particular story. Anyway since my narrative is even worse than my attempt at humor let's crack on :3

OH almost forgot, shout out to my anonymous rp friend who got me to finally upload this thing after just having a summary stuck in my documents for almost a year :D

I DO NOT OWN HETALIA! If I did then there would be MOER UPDATES & SEASONS! *dundunduuuuuun*

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><p>.<p>

Chapter 1: The Streets of Rome

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Monochrome is one of the many words that could be used to describe the market. Sure the fruits and gems were exotic and colourful, the clothes worn and shown varied to an extent, but one thing was all the same. It was the people, the daily passersby, the old and new shop keepers, and most of all the guards placed around merely to flaunt the power of the law. Little did the public know of the shadowed figure creeping out of sight of the beige streets, coming closer to its prey.

"Excellent choice, come again soon!"

An anonymous fish salesman stands idly by. He tries to make ends meet by attracting the public to his wares. His sales today will decide whether his family will eat tonight. Whether the salesman was distracted long enough will decide whether the shadow can eat today. It's a dog eat dog world, and this hunt will cost more than he will gain.

The shadow knows this very well. He knows almost everything that happens in the market, all the gossip, all the secrets.

This is because, like many other shadows, he is ignored, invisible to even the kindest. Even so, he carries out his plan.

"Yes-yes! Only the best sold here!"

Moving slow, the shadow uses great delicacy to climb swiftly onto the cloth roof of the stand without sound or sight. Carefully he pauses to see how noticeable he was. No words about the roof, or about his presence. He saw a group of travellers come near the store and grabbed his chance.

"Come one come all! Fresh fish straight from Tuscany!"

He bent over the side just slightly. The travellers had come to the stall, better yet had lured the stand owner away and were facing a different direction. Quickly he glanced at the array of fish, instinctively picking out the ones he new from experience could be eaten raw.

Choosing his target - something not too big and noticeable but made for a decent meal - he took one last glance at the owner and travellers before bending himself just far enough to pick a single fish up by its tail. With a great use of strength and stealth, he quickly lifted himself back up and sat in silence until the travellers had left.

Finally, he breathed. He swiftly returned to the alleyway to take a rest on solid ground.

Doing such criminal acts always stressed him out, even more than when he got caught. He knew he had to eat but he couldn't help over thinking about what he was taking from others. It was the game of life, either you're born with the ability to make your own means of survival, or steal from those who can with your life at risk. He hated it. The people he stole from would never know what they've lost, or if they did know they would feel anger and hatred towards him for just trying to live. It wasn't fair, but he was very used to it by now.

At least, that's what he liked to think. In truth he was barely convinced he should even be alive. He didn't deserve the life he had, no one did.

But he had to live no matter what, at least until he could-  
>"Well, well, well."<p>

The shadow turned quickly, hearing the familiar echo of a guard's authoritative voice. There were three coming from the only other way through the alley. "Caught you red handed again huh? Well this time you're not getting away!"

_Damn it_! The only way out was the market and that meant more witnesses to his 'crime'. "Don't even think about running, the market is full of guards." They said it as though he didn't know fully well already. At the same time, he was **_not_** going to prison now.

With guards shouting behind and the fish tight in his grasp, the shadow dashed off into the crowds. Skillfully he dodged past blurs of people, taking note of the guards who caught on to him and guards who hadn't. He was running out of safe streets, gathering a mass of guards and overhearing tactical orders for his capture being given. He had to find-  
>There! A guard who wasn't paying attention standing just out the way of a narrow alleyway. He had one chance.<br>Pacing himself,  
>timing it right,<br>and-

Made it! Just in time, barely missing the guard and shooting down the tight space. He knew the alleys like the back of his hand, and he knew the guards couldn't run down here like he could. Dodging past objects, jumping over rubble, effortlessly repeating actions copied from pure déjà-vu. His legs thumped in their steps, momentum only carrying him now as he slowed down. Finally he paused for a moment, hearing the noise of the guards die down. The shadow closed his eyes and concentrated past his fast beating heart and cold sweat to imagine his internal map, picking which routes would be safe.

Finally he set his route, and headed home.

...…...

The sun was already setting by the time he reached his tiny, abandoned home. Planks of wood hung loosely on top of rubble in case it rained, and there were little more than a couple of rags for bedding. Among his kind he was rich, though it was more his own persistence.

He put his meal on the cleanest part of his 'shelter' and rested himself, leaning his tired body against the rocky wall. Looking at it now, large chunks of the fish had been lost in the chase, dirt and rocks covering its once perfectly appealing scales.

W_hat a waste._

As he casually began his ruined meal, he scornfully thought back on the guards who were at fault. He hated guards, _despised_ them_._ Undeserving keepers of the law who are as fair as they were knowledgeable of the people they put away. They were cruel, sadistic, you could just tell by looking in their eyes.

Finishing his meal, the man took one final look outside his small makeshift home, staring at the dim light bathing the streets to a calming golden-beige. Another day over, another day begins, the cycle turning ever faster.

There was no point in thinking about it now. He rested himself down, creating a small pillow from dirty rags, and lay opposite to the open space. The sun would bother him, but there was no reason to stay up anymore. Maybe one day he will gain a reason for everything he does, but until then he would stay alone and insignificant; just another shadow to avoid. Silence fell on the streets and the man tried his best to lie still despite irritable clothing and knowledge of the coming cold. He imagined warm hands and a familiar voice, telling him sweet white lies and possibilities of coming days. He oh so wished for the company he once had, but his past created a meaning for his future.

Feeling determined to face the world once more; he whispered to himself words from memory.

"Goodnight, Ludwig."

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><p>And that was that! In my opinion it's kind of short : But it's certainly not the end! Depending on schooling I may update this once a week or once every two weeks, but expect updates on Saturdays nonetheless :)

Please tell me if you have enjoyed or have any form of advice for me in the future, see you next time fellow Hetalians~


	2. Struggle

Erhmahgosh I didn't know I would get this many views just for a prologue, thanks for giving me a chance TTuTT

Anyways, second chapter in which we see a little more into Ludwig the thief's life, please enjoy :)

*_DICLAIMEHR_* I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters, if I did I wouldn't be able to idolize the great Hima-papa~

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><p>..<p>

Chapter 2: Another Day's Struggle

..

_"Father, why do we have to live like this? Without Mother, and away all the time?"_

_"It's because of an accident that happened when you were very young." The adult blonde pressed lightly against his son's back and looked down from the roof they had rested on. "Look at these people Ludwig. They have their own worries, their own cares. They don't have time to care about people like us. But these are just the commoners." He stood, motioning to be followed as the young boy copied. They traveled through the abandoned building until they reached the other side. There they reached a place with a large view of the city and its population. Alfher pointed to the highest building as far as the eye could see, a tower, and made sure his boy would stare at it too. "Do you see that building son? That is were the 'higher ups' live. The people who run this city, this country, meet and live there. Those people are the ones who are supposed to be looking out for us, for everyone."_

_"That's the King's house isn't it…?"_

_Alfher put a hand to the boy's head and pet him calmly. "That is, but a new Prince is coming into power now so things might change. Ludwig, please remember what has happened. Things may soon start changing for the worst."_

…...…

The air was fresh and warm without a breeze today. Ludwig rubbed the back of his neck, his usual aching returning from lack of proper rest despite the peaceful weather on his skin. Once you got up, you had to keep moving; otherwise you risked giving up on moving at all. Besides, there were a few people who knew where he rested for the night and he did not want to be around when they were.

He walked around the labyrinth of alleyways, noting each twist and turn he had been down so many times. His eyes were drooping slightly; visibly being pushed up by effort after the blonde rubbed them with a yawn. Unfortunately it seems his tiredness today created a bigger risk than he'd wanted, he had forgotten whose routine he was about to intercept. Only the strongest, bravest and stupidest hide near the markets since a lot of people walk down those alleys anyway, and since Ludwig was trying to get an early start before too many eyes can watch him of course he would run into people he wanted to avoid.

"Well, if it isn't little Lutz."

Time stopped.

Ludwig growled silently at the familiar sarcasm filled brain jabbing voice. He did not turn to the three he knew stood close behind him, but he also knew well enough not to carry on walking.

"Where you going mate? Off to steal some apples? Some grapes?" Ludwig still did not move, partially because he refused to be held responsible for what he may do. "Oi, come on now, why don't you look at your old pal Diego."

After a pause, Ludwig stiffly turned his body the opposite way, keeping his posture and stern look despite the anger building up inside. The man named 'Diego' had been walking along with his two friends, all three as burly and unkempt as each other, when they stumbled upon something to pick on. "If you excuse me, I have to go and find my single meal for the day."

He turned once more only to hear them all laugh behind him. "Ha! Talk about worthless, if you had gotten a _job_ than maybe you would be more than just a dirty scrounger!" Diego definitely knew how to push him the wrong way. Ludwig forced his mind to clear of the memories of his family being forced out of their work and home and even back then that laughing bastard taunted them. Diego would act like a high and mighty saint, but really all he does is tell lies to the higher ups. His body was begging to move but had to hold back. Last time he was almost arrested, and he didn't have time to give the guy what he really deserved. Ludwig decided to leave it and walk off down another route

"Aww, come on now mate, no need ta get all bitchy about it! It's not my fault you're just as bad as your worthless dad!" He began to laugh once more. He laughed and laughed, so much so that he didn't notice the rock flying straight towards his face.

The pudgy man cried out in pain and crashed onto the ground, holding his head were the blood was starting to pour.

"You know nothing about my father! All you did was take what he worked his hands to the bone for and claim it as your own!"

With the help of his two thuggish friends Deigo got back up and all three stalked towards him. "Heh, you're obviously looking for a fight pipsqueak."

Ludwig returned his ice cold glare as the other wiped his bloody nose. "No, I'm not going to sink to your level." He said simply, and began to turn around before a fist smacked him right in his face. He landed on the ground with a thud before getting picked back up by the shirt.

"Hah, that's rich!" Diego spat while his friends grabbed Ludwig's arms and legs. "Looks like we might have to teach you something about where your place is."

Ludwig would have barked back but it was too late to stop the first punch. He received punch after punch to his stomach and face, and soon it turned into harsh kicks. He closed his eyes against the tears and toughened his body, fighting against every instinct to show pain to the monster. Deigo took only one second to rest, assuming that Ludwig would relax his body and become unprepared for another attack – but he knew better. In that instant Ludwig used all his strength to throw one arm free, punching Diego right across his smug face. In two more thrusts from his limbs Ludwig was free and the two thugs were on the ground. He kicked Diego further away and put some distance between himself and them. They gathered themselves together and faced Ludwig again as he cleaned up the blood on his face, still ready to fight. Ludwig prepared himself, fists ready, stance ready, showing a glare that could kill. And then it hit him:  
>There was nothing stopping him from running away.<p>

He would love more than anything to punch the guy's tiny brain out of his head, but if he left now he would be safe. If he ran now, he wouldn't get-

"Thug! Don't move."

Before he could react Ludwig's body was forced to the ground and the sound of clanking armour and harsh voices mixed in with each other. Through the rush of it Ludwig could not see past the shadowy figures, but he picked up conversations.

"Are you three unharmed?"

"Ah, don't worry about us. We're strong, hard-working men unlike that thug."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well you see me and my mates were just walking to the market, and all of a sudden this crook just jumps us! We weren't doin nothin, just minding our own business!"

Ludwig couldn't take it anymore. The lies, the liar, the things that had been taken from him in every unfair turn – he screamed out loud and tried to escape the clutches of the guards. But there were so many, much more than there would usually be. Ludwig couldn't help but think the worst, and he was right to do so. They lifted him to his knees, tied and blind folded him, not giving him any way out. Out of the darkness he heard a deep and depressing voice.

"Take him to the dungeon. Don't even bother with the trial."

In one swift movement, Ludwig was out cold.

Everything was taken from him by wicked people with wicked smiles.

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><p>Poor Ludwig, how can he find a way out of this? The dreaded dungeons are nothing to scoff at, and without an ally Ludwig's future seems all but hopeful.<p>

But we cant end a story like that can we? So come back to found out what happens in the next chapter~

Remember to review and tell me how I did, anything is appreciated at this point X3


	3. Despair

Not much action in this one compared to the rest so you can count this as a cliff-hanger filler-mabob :P

I love you all~ Grazie to 'Cheary' for your support, hope to keep you happy~

Moer disclahmeer; I don't always own hetalia, but when I do I wake up and get annoyed at my alarm clock

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><p>...<p>

Chapter 3: A Slow and Painful Despair

...

...…...

Why.

.

Why now.

.

Why did this happen. Did god think it was funny to spit on his path of life at every opportunity? In this world the 'crime' of trying to live cost you a chance at humanity. He knew this, everyone there new this, except he wept more silent tears then anyone else.

Because he had failed.

...…...

When he woke up, his worst fears had come true. He had never been there before, but there was no mistaking the stench of rotten depression that trademarked the prison dungeons. His tired and bruised body felt heavy and Ludwig could barely feel the cold steel of the shackles around his arms and the chain ball around his foot. Solitary lights of the candles flickered against the shells of humans that hung from the walls, souls being sucked from them by a mixture of angst, anger, despair and guilt. The occasional cackle and scream could be heard, but it was clear that the other inmates had long since gotten used to it. The air felt damp and cold, only contributing to the rocky and wet walls and floors of the badly taken care of cells.

No-one talked. No-one looked around.

That is, until the warden came through. As soon as the sound of closing metal doors resounded throughout the hall, foul manners of all kinds spread like wildfire among the prisoners, soon followed by booming voices of guards.

"You Rotten F*ckers, Lemme out of here so I can-"

"Give me back my Knife and I'll Show you why They're Really Scared-"

"YOU ***CENSOR*MORECENSOR*SOMUCHCENSOR*WELLTHAT'SRUDE*CENSOR***"

There was laughed and jeering and screeching, enough to burst a prisoner's eardrums. But it all ended when the warden smashed on the steel on the nearest cage, making a sound crash through the hall that could startle the deepest sleeper. Through the bars he could see that another poor thug was being brought in, dressed in the same rags and chains as everyone else. It was like they were all just objects to them.

Ludwig breathed a sigh full of heavy air. He will keep composed, he _will not _break. They won't be _able_ to make him break.

Full of resilience, Ludwig tested the shackles, but they were strongly fixed to the wall. They might be breakable during a breakout, now all he had to do was hope there actually was one in his life time. He checked the ball and chain, the walls the bars – from what he could see. There was nothing else to do anyway, time passed so slowly so why not pray for the impossible.

.

By the time the meals came, he could practically feel the disappointment in the air as colourless slop and murky water was placed in front of each prisoner. All hands were unshackled only to be re-shackled into more liberal chains. 30 minutes later all the plates were taken away and all prisoners were forced up against the walls again. Any kind of resistance lead to the cut of a spear on the face, resulting in many screams of the less polite prisoners. Ludwig grimaced, even at stone filled fish had better texture than whatever that was. The feeling of it sticking to his stomach mixed with the stuffy air and putrid smells and sounds was enough for him to predict himself holding back future vomit.

.

It was impossible to even tell the time. Was it day? Was the moon full?

Ludwig decided to sleep where he was.

.

Day after day, one week, two weeks, it began to be hard to keep track of time. The only thing that stood out of the misery, the moss and the cold, was one person. They came in every so often, followed by four guards, the warden, and a lone prisoner.

There were tell-tale signs to when it they would come. Light footsteps could be heard, along with some polite muttering that was not easy to hear. Just as the figure came into sight of the cells, a chorus of spits and hisses as well as shouting and screaming in language not suitable for many audiences filled the open space. As usual this would be calmed by the warden's shouting. However this person never shouted. They never looked scornfully onto the prisoners as they passed by, never looked insulted by the words of the damned.

They were always dressed in white, clashing dramatically with the scenery, almost as though they were bringing light to the darkness. So pleasant to Ludwig's dreary eyes. Every so often the muttering of the prisoners could be heard when the guards had passed. It wasn't until he had already begun to admire the person that Ludwig overheard something that made him whole-heartidly regret doing so.

"Oh great, it's him again."

"Back to send off another one."

"That Prince guy thinks he's so great. What I would give to bring him down with me."

The Prince? Him? That small figure dressed in robes was the Prince? All this time he had just been wondering in and out, posing as some kind of saint! Ludwig felt an all too familiar hatred boil through his blood.

The man in white left once more and Ludwig ignored the pity in his eyes. He only found it insulting now. He began to find it extremely hard not to join in the spitting and jeering of the other prisoners, but he still had his pride. He would not allow himself fall victim to his own hatred. Yet.

Another day passed, spent in deep thought and plotting. Finally it was time again for the visit and Ludwig could do nothing. With great difficulty he merely glared to the ground, not willing to humour the man with envy.

When the Prince returned among the roar of insults, he passed through as usual, not listening to the fronts of anger and denial being put up by the prisoners. However, this time was different. This time, he had just so happened to pass a glance at the cell with a large shadowy figure. This figure did not speak, or spit, or even look at him. It did not care for petty insults, or for the smallest of satisfaction of hurting him. When one of his personal guards urged him to continue on, he ignored him and instead stepped towards the cell. Even when the warden told him he must stay away for the sake of safety, the man dressed in white looked into the dark cave before him.

"What was this man's crime?" He asked simply, softly, quietly.

"He is just a petty thief milord," The warden replied politely, "no-one of importance; you should not concern yourself with him."

Despite continuous requests, still he gazed sadly upon the lone prisoner. Finally, he asked for permission to enter. After a slight bit of argument and quite a bit of regret the warden opened the door. The man in white stepped in, followed by a single guard.

The shadow could feel the other man's gaze on him, but still refused to look up. He refused to see the kind smile placed upon his lips, and the gentle look in his eyes. "Hello there." The voice was light and innocent, almost captivating. "Would you tell me your name?"

The shadow still remained silent. Only the rising and lowering of his chest would indicate his existence.

"Prisoner! You will answer when being spoken to!" The guard barked violently, but the man gave a look to him that asked him to not be so mean. He scowled, but obliged.

The man walked forward slowly, and instead of looking down onto Ludwig, he knelt so that he was beneath him.

"You are different." Ludwig remained emotionless but the man still smiled in response. "How would you like to come home with me?"

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><p>Hazaah Ludwig has been saved! Now about the next chapter...<p>

I'm having a little trouble finding the time to write these things now, with school and sleep and ugh XS

So next chapter might be a weekish late and maybe even the next one after will be too, sorry guys :(

(PS the dots are like, gaps, in the story, or in the mind, or sometin. peace.)


	4. Hope

I has returned! *7*

Okay two week break over, next two or three chapters will have to be in succession and I've got more time now so expect this to keep going just like before

I didn't actually realize how many chapters this would be, maybe I should split this up into 2 stories or something I dunno

Anyways! Back to story time :3

/One does not simply _own_ Hetalia/

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><p>...<p>

Chapter 4: Beginning of Hope

...

The tower was grand; every hallway was decorated with intricate art work of all shapes and sizes. Many objects that had been accumulated over generations lined the halls, holding great importance in both public and sentimental value. And yet, the ones to witness such beauties were mostly just the guards and servants who called this place home. Only one master stayed in this house, a master who had been content with his unchanging surroundings for a large span of his lifetime. Although now he had decided to open his home to a special guest, a new friend who he designated to stay by his side, and care to his daily personal wishes.

"Is this really necessary?" The new servant stood scowling at his employer. Ludwig felt humiliated, sure this was better than rags but what he was wearing could barely fit the description of a uniform.

"Ve! It's perfect~!" The childish man beamed with glee. He was so much more bubbly and enthusiastic than anyone of his importance should be; it was almost like he was doing it on purpose.

Ludwig sighed for the thousandth time that day. Of course he was happy to be out of the prison, and he was blessed to be given the chance to be so much closer to his goal, but putting up with this patronising idiot was almost unbearable. He had been transported by guards, given a room to stay in for the night and was fed a hearty meal in the morning, but after that he has been at the mercy of the prince's demands.

And he knew this was no-where near the end.

"Let's see, we've got you cleaned up, given you some new clothes, did you like your breakfast?"

Ludwig glanced at the guards whom had their weapons at the ready. He had already been 'disciplined' several times that day for his tone of speaking alone. "It was… good, very good."

"I'm glad!"

_Sure you are_

"Okay, now all that's left before you start work is to show you around! I can have some guards show you, that way I'm _sure_ you'll make friends quickly." His voice was so squeaky and peppy; it really twisted the blonde the wrong way.

"Yeah, sure, what ever you say." He tried so hard not to sound bored or irritated but he still got glares from the others in the room. Whatever they do to him he refused to respect this man.

With a simple wave of his hand two guards stepped forward for the Prince. "Please show him and teach him to the best of your abilities." He turned to face his new servant with a smile plastered on his face. "I hope you enjoy it, come and see me again when you're ready to start working." The Prince began to return to his quarters, a cue for his staff to get back to their duties. But as the two guards started walking away the Prince seemed to remember something and called back to him. "Oh yeah! What's your name?"

The blonde was surprised but looked back anyway. "It's Ludwig. Ludwig Beilschmidt." Shouldn't this guy have found this out before hiring him?

Either way the Prince sure seemed happy about it. "Ludwig huh? That sounds strong, I like it~" He smiled, such a soft and genuine look in his eyes. "I'm Feliciano. I'll wait for you, okay?"

And with that the prince left, skipping back to his quarters and leaving only Ludwig and his 'escorts' in the hall. It was all… very weird. There was a noise behind Ludwig and he turned back seeing the guards looking back briefly as if telling Ludwig to follow or get lost. He scowled once more, but followed for now. Just as he got to the door he glanced back in time to see large gate like doors shut behind the man dressed in white.

Ludwig couldn't help but wonder: why did he purposely put himself where no-one else can see? He quickly shook his head and corrected himself. This man stood himself out for a reason. He hid himself where no-one else could reach him, until now at least.

Ludwig allowed himself a small smile.

Soon the oh-so-benevolent prince would regret his cocky attitude, and trusting others so easily.

...…...

The only way to describe the tour around the tower was… awkward.

The other servants didn't seem to mind too much – or rather didn't know – where he had come from. The guards on the other hand seemed less than happy for Ludwig to be there, some more enthusiastic in their opinion than others. The feeling was very much mutual, so he felt perfectly fine ignoring his presumptuous overseers. The two guards escorting him told minimal information while expressing minimal interest in doing so; however Ludwig wasn't listening anyway. He was already formulating his plan out of his new surroundings. He had started making a mental map of the place that he would memorise over the day. When they came to the end, the guards did little more than dismiss him before returning to their duties.

Ludwig decided to take his boss up on his offer to take his time before going back.

He decided explore more, without the authoritative chatter in his ear, and reviewed the layout of his surroundings. Many of the rooms were unnecessary, and he doubted even the Prince himself ever used them for anything. His thoughts became a jealous clutter and he started mumbling things such as not working for what he has and not knowing the pain of those outside.

Eventually he accidentally came across someone he regretted to meet.

The captain of the guards.

With a small gasp Ludwig tried to back up the stairs he had been going down but it was obviously too late, both him and the three guards before him stopped when their eyes met. He recognised him; the captain was the one that protested the Prince from 'concerning himself' with him. Most likely the guards at his sides giving him looks of disgust were familiar with the tale. "Oh, so you still ended up as his lackey eh?" From his tone of voice the guard was obviously as pleased to see him there as he was. "Well just don't go poisoning our food with your rotten street mouth alright; even the servants here have standards higher than you."

Despite an all too familiar anger building up inside of him, for the sake of his goal Ludwig remained calm. "I assure you, I will do anything and everything to serve at the best of my ability."

"Hmph. Well, I guess we at least can't count on you to start an uprising. I might as well give you a tip if you really are going to be staying here." He motioned for the other guards to carry on and made sure he was speaking with him in privacy. "You're going to be the lordship's personal servant right?" With a quick nod of the Captain's expression turned to a more bored, casual one. "If I was in your position, I really wouldn't bother even trying to do it."

"What?"

"Seriously, the Prince can be demanding, but he won't be able to kill you if you just don't show up. He'll probably find a replacement in no time, so you're being here is pretty much unnecessary."

"You seem to know him well, but what makes you so sympathetic of me? Do you have some sort of grudge against him?"

He shrugged "The Prince doesn't show himself to the public eye. All he does is spend leisurely time doing whatever he wants, giving orders from behind a silk curtain. It's up to people like you and me to take care of things around here and do all the dirty work. You might as well do whatever you want, like say, leave at any time."

Ludwig gave him a sceptical look. It was growing more and more obvious that this man was not in favour of Ludwig's stay. "I thought a guard's only job was to protect and serve, not advise against his master."

"You thought wrong." The Captain left without another word. Ludwig looked at him curiously.

Something was definitely going on here.

...…...

At first glance everything seemed so different from what he had expected. The Prince acted strangely around all of his staff, shameless even, and his captain of the guards seemed to have no respect for him. He simply couldn't shake this weird feeling he got every time he remembered the Captain's words.

Ludwig shook his head once more. Of course his guard would say that, any man with common decency wouldn't want someone to work for that cold hearted bastard. He could envision it now, the Prince wasting his time while ordering his guards to do unspeakable things behind closed doors. Ludwig knew he was right to think these things. He knew because he had lived it, seen it, witnessed it with his own eyes. Despite the Captain's words he wouldn't back down now. If all was to go as planned he had to get on his new master's good side, at least so that he wouldn't suspect anything. If there was one thing Ludwig was sure about for now; it was that he couldn't trust anyone.

And so he continued searching the palace, pinpointing the exact places he would want to come back to later. He returned to his master's chamber just as the sun was setting. The large wooden doors opened with slight difficulty and Ludwig slowly and regretfully entered the room where his new life would start.

He had pictured it to be a little more dramatic.

As soon as he walked in not only was the room filled with useless things strewn about across the floor and tables, but the owner resembled them quite well. The young Prince was lying across his messy bed, limbs falling off at both sides, with a weird sleepy smile across his face. Ludwig couldn't believe his eyes. This was the man who ruled all from above? This was the idol of hundreds of thousands, making fate-changing decisions behind closed doors? He had expected the lazy part but this was just plain juvenile.

"Good grief." Ludwig sighed as he began his chores of cleaning up someone else's mess.

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><p>Ugh, I read back over the chapters and realized I've been using commas weirdly, I'll try to get out of that habit but it's going to be tough, so after I finish the story (which might be quite a while) I'm gonna go back and redo all the chapters to hide my shame<p>

Anyways! Hope you all liked Ludwig's first day in his personal hell, just how long will he stay there? And what could he be planning? Who knows~


	5. Peace

Not much to say other than this chapter is dialogue heavy and less than the last chapter, but I've got a biggy planned for chapter 6 so look forward to that~

Don't really think I need a disclaimer by now, I'm happier not risking angry fangirls coming at me by owning hetalia :3

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><p>..<p>

Chapter 5: A Peaceful Evening

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Much time passed and - by the time the sun had set - candle light had filled the palace. With the sleeping prince around darkness remained present in the bedroom since Ludwig would rather work in the dark than deal with a newly awakened royal brat. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, the servant remembered this when a rustling came in the direction of the bed.

"Mmrph." Ludwig turned his head quickly. The sleeping tyrant appeared to be shuffling and rolling slowly on the sheets. Ludwig sighed deeply as he mentally prepared for the coming break of the calm.

"Hmm? Is that you Luddy?" The brunette said in a drowsy tone.

_Luddy? Who the hell was Luddy?_

"It's just me your honor, I'm sorry if I woke you."

Despite Ludwig trying his best to speak properly, it became more and more apparent that it was in vain. The sleepy man sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Ahh, it is you~ I was waiting for you but I guess I fell asleep, sorry Luddy." He smiled happily at his servant but was only returned a look of confusion.

"…That's not my name."

"Ve, your name's not Luddy? Then what should I call you?"

"Ludwig, my name is Ludwig… your honor."

While he was talking the Prince got up and stretched before walking across the room to sit at the desk next to him. "Boo, I like your nickname better, but I will call you Ludwig if you _don't_ call me 'honor'."

Ludwig, still regretful to be so close to him, moved back a bit to face him and folded his arms. "Fine, what do you want to be called?"

"Feliciano. Or maybe you can call me Feli~"

Ludwig paused as though he was trying to explain something obvious to a stupid person. "Your honor, if I were to call you that enough times in front of the guards I would be beheaded."

"Aww." Feliciano thought for a moment before smiling again. "Fine, I'll call you Luddy _and_ Ludwig and you can call me Feliciano _and_ fancy things, okay?"

Ludwig sighed in defeat. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Feliciano smiled and laughed for a moment before realising that they were still in almost complete darkness. "Oh! Sorry, one second." He took a match from the draw next to him and found a candle on the table. He found them and lit it so quickly in the dark that you would think he had done it a million times. The candle was fairly bright, enough for the two men and a large portion of the room to be generously lit. "These are really good candles, made from fancy stuff so they last long and are really bright."

"Can't you just get one of your servants to light the room?"

"Ve, I don't like to bother them at this time," Feliciano looked around as if someone might be listening before loudly whispering to Ludwig, "if I keep quite I can stay up and go to sleep when I like without anyone telling me I cant~" He seemed to find it fairly amusing but still Ludwig retained a stoic expression. "Oh! That reminds me, have you had lunch or dinner? The sun has already set so the tour must have been longer than usual."

"I'm not hungry." Ludwig lied. He still didn't trust all this, especially since the man before him was so much higher than him and yet so casual. He must be planning something.

"Really? I know those prisons don't serve as much as the staff meals here and one meal a day must be really annoying." It was only then he had noticed the increasingly strange expression on Ludwig's face. "Hmm, did I say something offensive? Why are you giving me the scary eye?"

"…It's too suspicious." Ludwig whispered to himself. Feliciano tried to ask again but Ludwig had started to move towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go to bed, I've spent a while cleaning your room so I'll do more tomorrow." He tried to make it out of the door but was stopped rather abruptly. "W-What are you doing?"

Not only was he actually being _hugged_, but he was being hugged by his new master! "If you're going to bed you stay in here!"

Ludwig was extremely confused but knew danger when he saw it, even if it did come in the form of a childish brunette looking up at him with pouting and puppy eyes. "What the hell are you trying to do?" He tried to shake him off, ending up trying to almost rip him off, but this man was holding on like he was going to lose something precious to him. "I said I'm going to bed, I won't fall for any strange tricks you're trying to pull."

Through the difficulties of holding on Feliciano spoke quickly through his teeth. "You sleep in here!"

Suddenly Ludwig stopped pulling and in return the shorter man let go and rubbed his arms in pain. Ludwig turned round with an even more confused expression. "What? I slept in a guest bedroom before."

"Nooo." Feliciano whined, pouting like a child once more. "You're my _personal_ servant, you only slept there because you didn't know your way around before. My servant sleeps with me."

"Sleeps _with_…" Ludwig was shocked. He found it very hard not to shout at his superior. "What are you talking about? There aren't any other beds in here and we've only just met! Plus there's the whole 'Prince and pauper' thing! Do you even consider what you say before you say it?!" Feliciano stood a little wide eyed. All of a sudden the young prince for once did not show any child like features, or even any happy or sad expression. He simply sighed and spoke in a tone Ludwig had not yet heard from him.

"So you're the same after all."

With Ludwig now unable to keep his stoic expression, Feliciano walked over to his bed and threw a pillow and sheet to the ground. "Sleep on the floor if you want but you are sleeping in here nonetheless." Ludwig couldn't tell if he was saying this as a spoiled child or an angry parent, he was just so confused by the sudden change. The brunette walked over and blew out the candle before finally getting into his bed, without changing his clothes or checking the time. Ludwig stood there in silence. There was little more he could do. And yet, for some reason he felt compelled to stay in the room, if only for that night. He made the excuse that he wanted the Prince to trust him and left it there. At least a carpeted floor would be more comfortable than rock.

A lot more comfortable it turned out. The sheet and pillow were of a soft material unlike anything Ludwig had ever felt before, and the floor was a cloud compared to what he's used to. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be stuck in this place for a while, even if he would have to deal with the bipolar bastard of a Prince. He turned away from the person in question and began to formulate a plan in case the Prince – or rather _Feliciano_ – would be trying anything by keeping him in the same room.

On the other hand, Feliciano was facing away as well, furrowing and un-furrowing his eyebrows. Since he'd had more sleep before he knew he would be up a while longer but that was alright since he had things to think about. Eventually, his expression became a smile as he decided on his future plans.

All of a sudden Ludwig heard something he very much hadn't expected.

"Goodnight Luddy"

Ludwig's eyes shot open and began to feel flustered. Out of panic he did something he would never think to do. "U-Uh, umm, g-goodnight… Feliciano."

He heard him laugh gently from the bed and Ludwig almost slapped his own face in embarrassment.

He felt… uncomfortable

Strange and uncomfortable.

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><p>A bit of 'bonding' between master and servant, how lovely~<p>

Please don't be afraid to give me reviews and if you want to tell me something personally just message me :3


	6. Curious

Ohai thar

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><p>.<p>

Chapter 6: Curiouser and Curiouser

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The faint dull rays of first sun woke Ludwig from a strangely deep slumber.

He'd had a mesmorizing dream, oddly sweet and comforting, yet it had sparked a sense of longing in him. He rose from the floor and held his head, not used to a painless morning, and then turned his head to find that the young master showed no signs of awakening for some time. Ludwig couldn't know that Feliciano had stayed up a while after he'd gone to sleep, making sure that the servant was comfortable and staring listlessly out of the window. With a sigh of regret – and also a calm satisfaction to have something to do – Ludwig decided to continue sorting things out where he had left off last night. He smiled secretly when a quiet thought of purposely and loudly disrupting the other's sleep came to mind.

The sky soon became bright once more, the city below bathed in the familiar break of day.

While sorting flowers at the window, Ludwig looked below. He could see everything, the market, the plaza, everywhere he used to 'make a living'. Then once more he turned to the bed with a sigh. A familiar anger rang through his body, threatening to burst out unless the sloth of a man woke up soon. It was still very early, so Ludwig smirked as he decided to get the prince on a proper sleeping schedule. Making sure he had finished what he was doing, Ludwig grabbed the handles to the shutters of the window and took one last look to the sleeping prince before slamming them closed.

There was a jolt from the bed and the blonde held in a snigger as he saw the other fidget, confused in the darkness. "Luddy, is that you…?" Feliciano grumbled as he spied a blur of a person with his one open eye. If he could, Ludwig would take a cloth and soap and tell Feliciano he was going to clean up the mess he looked like. The young man was in a state of comfortable rubble, his body barely visible under hair, clothes and crumpled blankets.

"No." The servant said simply as he let in the light once more and got back to cleaning.

"Aww. But if you're not Luddy then who are you?" Feliciano yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his too-big sleeve. "I was looking forward to seeing him…"

Ludwig shook his head and ignored him. The man was clearly making fun of him. If he thought he could just use Ludwig as a joke then he could forget it.

But no matter what Ludwig was thinking Feliciano merely sat at the edge of the bed with his messy hair and too-big clothes staring at him with tired curiosity. It did take a long moment of busy cleaning for Feliciano to realize Ludwig wasn't going to answer, so like a child he pouted and folded his arms. "You liar, you're definitely Luddy."

"You got me, how smart you are." Ludwig rolled his eyes irritably. "I'll do my chores while you go about your business." He'd hoped that was the end of it, but Feliciano looked a little sad from his words.

"But I didn't give you any orders yet, and I don't think the others would have." The brunette shuffled where he was sitting and started playing with his sleeves. "I was hoping maybe we could talk a bit, and maybe play a game and lay around and laugh…" His voice trailed off. Once again, Ludwig didn't answer. He told himself Feliciano was just trying to get him off guard; he wasn't going to take any chances. But this only made Feliciano pout more, he had finally gotten the prince annoyed. "Jeez you really are no fun; you don't even take naps or talk to me. Aren't you at least happy to be out of that dark and scary place?" This time there was a reaction - a very small one where Ludwig stopped.  
>Feliciano's expression softened. "I asked about what happened. They told me that you attacked someone. Is that really what you did?" Silence. Feliciano looked down. "But when I asked more they said it was more than one person at once. It's scary to fight anyone; I don't think you would try to hurt more than one person even if you're desperate." Feliciano kicked his feet about thoughtfully while Ludwig managed to put all the clothes – save for certain personals – away. "You're kind of scary too, but you don't seem like the kind of person to attack someone without having a reason. What was the reason? Were they bullying you so you attacked them? Did you have a lot to drink?" He rapid fired the annoying questions, only making Ludwig not want to answer more.<p>

Finally the blonde straightening up and faced him directly. "I have finished temporarily. With your permission I will go and use the restroom." Ludwig pushed some clean clothes onto Feliciano to change into and walked away.

Feliciano looked from the clothes to Ludwig. "Why were they going to kill you?" He asked, though it didn't interrupt Ludwig at all. It wasn't much use anyway, the blonde carried on out of the bedroom door, although Feliciano wondered why he didn't just use the restroom connected to the bedroom.

Ludwig knew he did have to behave himself in case anyone else knew how close the Prince was acting towards him. Besides, getting out of that room might just be his ticket to find the second phase…

...…...

Ludwig was smart, strangely so for someone without proper schooling. Not that he needed it. What he _needed_ was the brain that had already memorized routes to different rooms throughout the tower. Though it was a tower, this building wasn't as big as it would seem to any pauper. In fact inside it was often wider than it was taller – the height came from the many storage rooms and empty unused rooms leading up to the roof.

Temporary cells were underground, along with one room for the guards and their sleeping abodes. Ground floor was all for show, not much use to him. First floor however held one other room for the guards and a well organized kitchen. In his mind Ludwig planned out how to avoid the guards plus anyone whom might have questions and head for the kitchen. If he was lucky the servants were not cooking yet or simply wouldn't notice him.

He used his stealth to get downstairs quickly, cutting corners and using the sound reducing carpet to his advantage. It was strange but on the way he couldn't help but notice the halls. All were coloured similarly in beige and red but it seemed that on the floor with Feliciano's chambers there were a lot more paintings, all with similar style and some not as impressive as others. It was like a timeline of sorts… Ludwig shook his head; he didn't have time to dwell on this. He made it down the safe route without bumping into any distractions and found the kitchen as he had done the day before.

Last time some servants attempted to make conversation with him, if there were servants here he would ignore them with as much annoyance as he did yesterday. But luck was finally on his side once more, it seemed too early for the servants to begin meals and Ludwig was alone. It only took a couple of draws and shelves to find what he was looking for. Once it was hidden inside his clothes Ludwig looked from side to side before attempting to leave the room. Unfortunately it wasn't that easy, less than a hall away he spied some guards coming round the corner that would definitely be suspicious of him. Ludwig thought fast, scurrying down the nearest turn whilst trying to act as natural as possible. They didn't follow. But before he could take a breath of relief, he saw where he had to go to carry on. Ludwig sighed; he had no choice but to go into the quarters of the Captain of the Guards.

The door opened silently and Ludwig was relieved to find no-one present in the room. He remained quiet as he stepped in the still dimly lit room. It seemed someone had recently been here and left a mostly melted candle lantern. Was the captain off duty this early? Either way he should just get out of here, the room was weirdly built to be small with two doors like a place that wasn't really supposed to be used as an abode; Ludwig doubted anyone actually came through here since it was so out of the way. The servant only paid minimal attention to his surroundings; there was well polished armour that looked like it had never been worn, various books relating to work and non-fiction, and a little desk by the other door.

Just before he left he did spy a little piece of interest on said desk. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be a journal of some sort, or at least something to write thoughts down on. Well he was certainly taking that. Straight after he left without making anything else out of place.

...…...

The rest of the way back had as much luck as he'd had coming down, except for one small detail.

Just as he'd touched the handle on the door to Feliciano's quarters he heard a deeper voice from inside than the Prince's. Curious, he pressed his ear to the wood and listened closely.

"It's just an update on the protection protocol, altogether just redistributing guards to areas that need them."

"Well then I guess so, can't I sign them later? And that's a lot of paper just to change-"

"Surely you understand what a time waste it is for you to treat this issue poorly, or does the safety of your subjects not matter to you as much as you tell me it does?"

There was a silent pause.

"Here, on the line right?"

"Exactly. When that street rat returns you can order him to finally organize that bathroom of yours, the servants can give him a mop as well."

The deeper voice continued talking but Ludwig was more worried by muffled footsteps coming closer. He'd better not be seen like this. He hurried down the hall to the corner, waiting for the door to be opened before acting like he had only just started to come down the hall. Who else would come out but the Captain of the Guards.

The guard closed the door and noticed Ludwig quickly, his stern, sarcastic face beating the blonde's by a long shot. "You there, bring these papers to my quarters." He faced Ludwig and passed him the papers in his hand. "Do not go in; simply leave them by the door. It is the room two halls from the kitchen." As though the situation was as simple as the captain moved briskly passed Ludwig, leaving him with a frown as he looked at the papers.

"Shouldn't I go back to Fel- the prince?" Ludwig raised a brow.

The captain stopped, looking back to him with a mixture of surprise and mockery. "I'm surprised you didn't follow my advice. He won't care when you come back so just hurry up with it, and do remember what I told you."

With that it was clear the conversation was over.

Ludwig's frown deepened with worry, and as he looked back to the documents strange emotions both vexing and new began brewing.

...…...

Luckily Ludwig had managed to find a servant he hadn't already made a bad impression on yet and told them that the captain of the guards wanted a servant to carry the documents, leaving him to get back to Feliciano's chambers with time to think. The longer he stayed here the less Ludwig was understanding of the things around him, it had barely been more than a couple of days but still he felt as though there was a riddle here he wasn't even bothering to solve. But he didn't have time for any riddles or secrets; he was heading back to the chambers for one purpose only. It would be quick, easy, and then he would escape. Sure there was a huge chance he would be found, but even if they hung and quartered him Ludwig didn't care. This was going to be the last chapter.

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><p>Yes I know I said this chapter would be a big one but I had to split it up into two since I would run out of material afterwards if I didn't, so next chapter I promise will be a biggy if not more interesting~ :)<p>

Please do feel free to leave a review, anything you have to say interests me and helps me


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